At the End of God’s Leash
How walking my dog helped me to understand God’s sovereignty over my life
One of the greatest joys in the life of my little dog, Lippy, is when we go for a walk.
If my wife or I even whisper the words “walk” or “leash” in her hearing, Lippy bursts into spastic fits that are truly a sight to behold. She spins in circles and makes high-pitched yipping noises that increase in frequency and intensity until I outfit her with her walking apparel.
Normally, she is “fenced in” our yard with an electrified underground wire that activates warning beeps then light corrective shocks if she attempts to cross the boundaries. Lippy does know, however, when wearing her walking collar connected to the leash it is safe to leave the yard under our guidance.
Without carrying the analogy too far, the picture of a dog on a leash is representative of the way God leads us in our lives.
I will acknowledge the theological tension between the views of “free will” Armenians and “predestination” Calvinists while exploring the choices we make in life under God’s loving and watchful eye.
My leanings are definitely toward the sovereignty of God…His will trumps everything! God does whatever He wants, whenever He wants, how He wants, with whomever He wants.
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:35, NIV)
Yet we are creatures who have a will, and we make choices that sometimes please our Maker and, at other times, result in chastisement distributed from the hand of our loving Father in heaven.
Back to exploring the neighborhood with Lippy. As we set off, I have in mind where I want to go and how fast I want to walk. I allow her a certain length of the leash, and she typically pulls forward until she feels its tug on her neck.
Depending on the length I allow, she explores the terrain, sniffing here, tinkling there, all the while thinking she has amazing liberty as we move forward.
Often, Lippy wants to stop and linger as she takes in a particularly intriguing smell. I may allow her all the time she wants, or I may give the leash a tug urging her forward. Lippy is enjoying our walk, but my will reigns supreme.
More than any other creature, cats cause Lippy a high degree of irritation when they cross our path. If I permitted Lippy to go her own way she would chase any and all cats as far as her dog limitations would allow.
I usually override her will and pull her along as she is growling and barking at these innocent-looking creatures. But, just to teach her a lesson, at times I have allowed Lippy (while still on the leash) to run right up to a cat so that the cat will take a clawed swipe at her nose.
My theory is Lippy will learn that her anger at cats is not worth the pain and trouble and, in future excursions, she will ignore them as she recalls the discomfort and embarrassment caused by those sharp claws. So far Lippy has been a slow learner.
I think God leads us in similar ways.
He has the overriding plan and will regarding our lives, but He allows us to make choices at the end of His leash. We feel like we have a lot of liberty, and we enjoy the experiences we have as we walk through life with Him.
His love controls us (2 Corinthians 5:14) not allowing us to experience any testing beyond what we can handle through His grace. He may allow pain, many times as a result of our own bad choices, so we can learn from it and be more fruitful in the end.
I realize this analogy is not perfect but, with some prayerful reflection, it may offer a general picture of how God’s will and our will interact.
Read the words of the 23rd Psalm as you consider your daily walk with the Lord at the end of His leash:
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever. (Psalm 23, NKJV)
